The weekend is for finally getting some alone time after weeks of travel and house guests, which means drinking whiskey in the bath while watching Anthony Bourdain episodes. Also, video games.

I bought the Fortnite battle pass for the first time yesterday so I could write about the dog (it’s a good dog). I’m stressed out by my desire for the game’s skins and emotes—I’m not a person who cares much for cosmetic items in games, and I like that Fortnite can be free. But I find myself super jealous of other Fortnite players’ cool dances, or whining “I want that” childishly at other players’ skins. I don’t know how this game’s cosmetics got their hooks in me, but yesterday provided a good excuse to finally plop down some money in exchange for a bunch of shiny digital goods and the promise of more. I’m hoping moving through the battle pass will give me a sense of progression and inspire me to actually get a bit better at the game, instead of letting myself get killed so I can watch players infinitely more skilled than me go on to win while I complicatedly long for their virtual outfits.